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In response to national mourning in the wake of terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., Argonne has canceled both Education Day, scheduled for Friday, Sept. 14, and the open house, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15. See Argonne News Extra for related stories.
Argonne will mark the 100th anniversary of Enrico Fermi's birth by celebrating his life and accomplishments with a series of special events at the laboratory.
Fermi -- the first director of the University of Chicago's Argonne Lab, which became Argonne National Laboratory, and the namesake of the nearby accelerator laboratory -- was born Sept. 29, 1901. A Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Fermi led the design and construction of the first nuclear reactor.
Argonne's celebration will include the debut of a new annual lecture, a Web site contest, dedication of a postage stamp bearing Fermi's image, and a symposium. The University of Chicago and Fermilab will also hold events to mark the centennial.
"As we near Fermi's hundredth birthday, we honor his memory and his spirit of discovery," said Argonne Director Hermann Grunder. "Almost a half-century after his passing, he still serves as an inspiration in our scientific endeavors."
The first
Enrico Fermi Lecture will be held Thursday, Sept. 20, at 11 a.m. in
Argonne-East's Building 362 Auditorium. James W. Cronin of the University of
Chicago will speak on "Cosmic Rays: A Lifelong Interest of Enrico Fermi."
Cronin was a student of Fermi's, and shares the same birthday.
A Nobel laureate, Cronin is university professor emeritus in the departments of physics, astronomy, astrophysics and the Enrico Fermi Institute.
With University of Leeds Professor Alan Watson, he leads an international project -- the Pierre Auger Observatory -- to study the nature and origin of high-energy cosmic rays. The observatory, now under construction in Argentina, will comprise 1,600 particle detection stations arranged in a giant grid covering 3,000 square kilometers. The observatory is named after scientist Pierre Auger, who discovered showers of cosmic ray particles in 1938. Auger conducted cosmic-ray research at the University of Chicago in 1942, even launching hot-air balloon experiments from the university's Stagg Field -- very near the spot where Fermi presided over the first controlled nuclear chain reaction.
Cronin and Princeton University's Val Fitch received the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physics. They were the first scientists to observe the laws of nature operating differently on matter and antimatter.
A symposium at
Argonne-East Friday, Sept. 28, will honor the pioneering physicist and take
note of his many contributions to the birth of nuclear energy and its related
benefits to mankind. See story below for topics and schedule.
The University
of Chicago will also host a symposium of scientists who knew the famous
physicist. The symposium will be held in the Max Palevski Cinema, located in
Ida Noyes Hall on the university's main campus.
Friends, students and colleagues of Fermi will speak on topics ranging from his classroom style to his physics discoveries. Speakers will include Nobel laureates Jack Steinberger and Murray Gell-Mann, a physics faculty member at the university from 1951 to 1954.
More information about the university's celebration of Fermi's 100th birthday is online.
Fermilab's
Sept. 28 centennial celebration will feature a symposium, a "Fermi Film
Festival," a birthday party for grade-schoolers and a teacher workshop.
Details appear on
Fermilab's Web site.
Argonne and
the University of Chicago are sponsoring an Enrico Fermi Web site contest for
high-school students in the United States and Italy.
Students are invited to develop a Web site about the great scientist's life, work and contribution to physics. Prizes will be awarded to the top three entries in English and Italian.
The contest is open to all sophomores, juniors and seniors attending U.S. or Italian high schools in the 2001-2002 school year. Entries must be submitted before Sept. 29. Selected entries will be on display at the Sept. 15 open house. Details appear on the contest Web site.
A symposium at Argonne-East Friday, Sept. 28, will celebrate the 100th birthday of Enrico Fermi and his contribution to the development of nuclear power.
The symposium will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Building 402 Conference Center, with remarks by Argonne Director Hermann Grunder.
The tentative schedule includes:
8:45 a.m. --
Outline of the professional history of Enrico Fermi, by Alvin Weinberg.
9 a.m. -- A
panel on "The Chicago Years: Reflections of Former Colleagues and Associates of
Enrico Fermi."
10:30 a.m. --
Retired Associate Laboratory Director Charles Till will outline the history and
birth of the national laboratories and the beginnings of reactor development.
10:45 a.m. --
Deputy Associate Laboratory Director John Sackett will moderate a panel on
Argonne's fast reactors EBR-1 and EBR-2. The focus will be on design choices.
Noon -- Lunch
1 p.m. -- Till
will provide a brief history of fast reactor development through the 1960s,
1970s and early 1980s.
1:10 p.m. --
Associate Laboratory Director Yoon Chang will present an overview of the
Integral Fast Reactor .
1:40 p.m. --
Chang will moderate a panel on the Integral Fast Reactor and the status of its
underlying technology.
2:45 p.m. --
Michael J. Lineberry will moderate a discussion of the IFR fuel cycle
technology.
3:45 p.m. --
Chang will present closing perspectives on current status and future prospects
for the fast reactor.
3:55 p.m. --
Closing remarks by Hermann Grunder.
5:30 p.m. --
Reception (cash bar) and dinner at the Argonne Guest House. The day will
conclude with a round table and historical reminiscences following dinner.
Virginia Valian will present "Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women in Science" at a Director's Special Colloquium Tuesday, Sept. 25.
The talk will begin at 3 p.m. in Argonne-East's Building 362 Auditorium. All employees whose schedules permit are invited to attend.
Valian is professor of psychology and linguistics at Hunter College and the City University of New York Graduate Center. She is the author of "Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women" (MIT Press, 1998). The book explores the disparity in the professional advancement of men and women. In "Why So Slow?" Valian focuses on the "invisible" factors that retard women's progress, making her case with experimental and observational data from laboratory and field studies of children and adults.
Valian's current research concentrates on first and second language acquisition, sex differences in mathematics learning, and gender and advancement in science.
She has also written two other books, and many journal articles.
In addition to the exhibits and activities showcasing each Argonne division, "Argonne Adventure 2001" will feature presentations with topics that range from glassblowing to ecology.
The 2001 open house will be held at Argonne-East Saturday, Sept. 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Scientific
glassblower Joe Gregar (CHM) will demonstrate his craft in 40-minute shows at
10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Gregar will provide a look into the worlds of
scientific and artistic glassblowing through a program that includes a
historical overview and a continuous demonstration of both types of
glassblowing. Always popular with audiences of all ages, Gregar's presentation
will focus on the many different types of glass, their importance, their
composition and interesting trivia.
"Weird
Science," a fast-paced series of short, easy and sometimes strange
demonstrations and ideas on chemical and physical phenomena, is scheduled at
10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Humor, videos, audios and audience
participation are an integral part of the program, which entertains while it
educates. "Weird Science" has appeared on the David Letterman Show 20 times in
the past 10 years.
"Mad Science"
is a 50-minute show that aims to give people a clear understanding of what
science is really about and how it affects the world around them. The
high-energy presentation includes audience participation and pyrotechnics. It
will be presented at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
"The Ronald
McDonald Ecology Show" will use music and interaction to focus on environmental
issues such as conservation and recycling. It will be presented at 11:30 a.m.
and again at 1:30 p.m. The show is sponsored by the McDonald's owners of
Chicagoland and northwest Indiana.
In addition to these feature presentations, "Argonne Adventure 2001: Science and Technology for Today and Tomorrow" will feature more than 100 different exhibits staffed by professional scientists and engineers.
These include an exhibit that simulates an accelerator's operation and simulations of computer hacking and information on how to protect personal computers from hackers and cyber terrorists. Other exhibits include a "Who Wants to Be a Scientist?" contest; and a transportation exhibit on the entire scope of Argonne's transportation research on energy-efficient, low-emissions automobiles, heavy vehicles and trains.
A full list of activities is available online.
Volunteers are needed to help pass out programs at all three entrance gates during Argonne-East's open house, Sept. 14-15.
Between 2,500 and 3,000 high school and college students will visit the Illinois site for a preview of the open house on "Education Day," Friday, Sept. 14.
On Saturday, Sept. 15, "Argonne Adventure 2001: Science and Technology for Today and Tomorrow" is expected to draw more than 15,000 visitors to Argonne-East. The open house will feature more than 100 different exhibits explained and run by scientists and engineers.
Help is needed in two-hour shifts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
To volunteer, or for more information, call Cindy Wilkinson (OPA), Community Relations Manager, at ext. 2-5561.
Bands representing a wide variety of musical styles will perform at the "End of Summer" RIAfest in Argonne Park Saturday, Sept. 22.
RIAfest (for "Rock in Argonne," not the proposed Rare Isotope Accelerator) will start at noon and end at 11 p.m. Beer will be available for purchase. No food will be provided, but grills are available.
"Crazy Woman
Creek" will open the festival at noon with classic rock. They will perform a
second set later in the day with some special guests.
"The
Monsters," playing soft punk rock.
"Three Old
Dudes and the Babes," from the Physics Division, playing Tom Waits-like rock.
"Rhythmfish,"
a power R&B band.
"Sector 20,"
with musicians from the Advanced Photon Source, will cover 80s hits.
"Buffalo
Groove," will play all-original Russian rock, with special guests.
"Multivitamins," playing all-original Russian art-rock.
The order in which the bands will perform will be determined a few days before the fest.
The Argonne Chess Club will hold lunchtime speed-chess tournaments open to all employees, students, contractors and others on site Wednesday, Sept. 12, 19, 26 and Oct. 3, in Argonne-East's Building 362, Room E188.
Entry fee is $1. All entry fees will be returned as prizes. The chess club will provide all needed equipment.
Games will be timed at five minutes each. The tournaments will use Swiss system pairings if more than six players enter; otherwise pairings will be round robin.
Registration ends at noon. Games will start at 12:05 p.m.
For more information, call Dave Baurac (OPA) at ext. 2-5584 or Bob Hill (RAE) at ext. 2-4865.
The Guest House at Argonne-East will not serve lunch Tuesday, Sept. 11, and Wednesday, Sept. 12, due to a special event.
"A Taste of the New Southwest" will be on the menu when Argonne Guest House Executive Chef Chris Kaminsky conducts cooking classes Monday, Sept. 24, and Thursday, Sept. 27.
Classes will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Argonne-East's Guest House. Kaminsky will prepare red chile-crusted sea scallops, mango tortilla salad with orange chipotle dressing, barbecue duck ragout and chorizo sausage, cornmeal biscuits, tamarind glazed pork chops with mole cream and chayote succotash. Dessert will be cornmeal pound cake.
Participants can taste the results.
Class size is limited. Cost is $23 per person, cash, check or charge, with payment due at registration.
Mail payment to Kathy, Argonne Guest House, Building 460, or drop off in person.
Registration for the Sept. 24 class ends Wednesday, Sept. 19; for the Sept. 27 class, Friday, Sept. 21.
The Argonne Running Club is seeking volunteers to help at the 2001 Chicago Marathon, Sunday, Oct. 7.
Argonne volunteers work the finish line, dispensing drinks, medals and congratulations. Volunteers receive a jacket and hat.
For information, contact Corrie Patterson Kamiya at ext. 2-9246 or cgpatterson@ anl.gov by Sept. 25.
A Social Security representative will be available in Argonne-East Human Resources, Building 201, Wednesday, Sept. 19, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Social Security representative George Cutwright will be available to:
Enroll
employees in Social Security.
Take
applications for new social security cards, including original cards for
newborns, corrected cards due to marriage or replacement cards.
Help with
earnings posting problems.
Answer general
questions about Social Security.
To schedule a meeting, call Fran Perri (HR) at ext. 2-2989.
A representative from MetLife will visit Argonne-East Tuesday, Sept. 11, and Tuesday, Sept. 18, to meet with individual employees and provide insurance comparisons and quotes for the "METPAY" group automobile and homeowner insurance program.
To schedule an appointment, call Craig Riddick at (630) 810-0346, ext. 143. Employees should fax their auto policy renewal statements to (630) 810-1628 before their appointments.
Employees can also call Metlife directly at (800) 438-6388 to receive a quote by phone.
Aetna, Inc., will offer guaranteed inflation protection to current long-term care participants.
Individuals participating in the plan can increase their daily benefit coverage without medical evidence. The inflation protection feature is offered every two years and will be made available to a participant as long as the participant has not declined an increase.
The application will be sent by mail. Applications must be returned to Aetna by Wednesday, Oct. 10. Current plan participants can call Aetna at 1-800-537-8521 for more information.
Electronics and Computing Technologies will offer several computer software classes during September.
Detailed class descriptions, schedules and enrollment forms are available online (See "On the Web," page 2.) For more information about enrollment procedures, contact Diane Cavazos (ECT) at ext. 2-7153 or dkcavazos@anl.gov.
Unless otherwise noted, classes will be held in Argonne-East's Building 221, Room A142, and are limited to 10 participants. Proficiency with the Windows operating system is necessary.
Advanced Word
2000 (ECT378) -- Prerequisites: Introduction and Intermediate Word. Monday,
Sept. 10, 8:30 a.m. _ 4:30 p.m. Cost: $215.
Advanced Excel
2000 (ECT379) -- Prerequisites: Introduction and Intermediate Excel 2000.
Tuesday, Sept. 11, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Cost: $215.
Advanced
Access 2000 (ECT380) -- Prerequisite: Intermediate Access 2000. Wednesday,
Sept. 12, 8:30 a.m. _ 4:30 p.m. Class size limited to eight. Cost: $215.
Front Page
2000 (ECT383) -- This class is two full days. Thursday, Sept. 13, and
Friday, Sept. 14, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Class size limited to eight. Cost:
$430.
Service Awards for August include:
45 Years
Bert J. Toppel (RAE).
40 Years
Donald A. LeBuis (BIO), Edward A. Ryan (MSD), Terry L. Scott (IPNS), Robert R. Whitman (AOD).
35 Years
Hal K. McUne (FAC), Arthur E. Ruthenberg (PHY), Ronald E. Van Buskirk (CHM).
30 Years
Newell K. Bingham (FAC).
25 Years
Robert L. Battleson (RPS), Noreen G. Czyz (APS), Gary R. Dyrkacz (CHM), David A. Ehst (TD), Donald F. Geesaman (PHY), Terry W. Grund (PFS), Maria Heinig (IPNS), Terry E. Howe (FAC), Richard C. Raffenetti (ECT), James J. Sienicki (RAE).
20 Years
Eliezer Huberman (BTC), Robert V.F. Janssens (PHY), Robert J. Klingler (CMT), Karl E. Rehm (PHY), Cynthia E. Wesolowski (OTT).
15 Years
Lori A. Beverly (RPS), Steven L. Gain (PFS), William J. Munyon (ESH), Mary H. Picel (EA), Judith J. Robson (IPD), Michael J. Tilton (PFS), Heidi L. Vece (IPD).
10 Years
Michael Bosek (ASD), Carol Dixon (OCF), James A. Heine (PFS), Stephen G. Johnson (ENT), Diane M. Morgan (XFD), John Noonan (ASD), John Oboikovitz (PFS), Madonna M. Pence (IPD), Eric Peterson (ESH), Mark C. Petri (RAE), Branch Geoffrey Pierce (EQO), Earl J. Powell (PFS), Ruthanne Sortor (RPS), Robert E. Swale (PFS), Marcia Torres (ESH).
5 Years
Harald Johnstad (ECT), Lorraine A. Roberts (AOD), William Yoder (ASD).